Key-ring holder.



'w. L. KIRKLAND.

KEY RING HOLDER. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 22, Hilfi- Patented Feb 6,1917,

WILLIAM L. KIRKLAND, OF BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA.

KEY-RING HOLDER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM L. KIRK- mm), a citizen of the United States, residing at Birmingham, in the county of J efferson and State of Alabama, have invented new and useful Improvements in Key-Ring Holders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to key ring holders and particularly to that class of holder which are designed to be supported from the waist band of the trousers or from some other suitable point of a garment and it has for its primary purpose, the provision of a holder consisting of a ring supporting loop and a spring, both struck from a common piece of metal and associated with each other so as to provide for the normal confinement of the ring in the loop and to also permit of the ready disconnection of the ring from the loop or the application of the same thereto, as occasion may demand.

The invention has for a further object, the provision of a device of this kind which can be expeditiously applied to the. waist band and normally held against casual derangement therefrom.

The device has for a still further object, the provision of a loop having a free terminal formed in a manner which will warrant an easy guiding of the ring from between the terminal and the spring on the application of pull in an upward direction against the ring.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of the key ring holder.

Fig. 2 is a front view thereof.

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the blank from which the device is formed.

Fig. 4 is an edge view thereof.

With reference to the preferred embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, of the drawing, I employ a single strip of resilient material, preferably steel, stamped in its main length to form substantially parallel branches 1 and 2 of relatively difierent lengths, theformer being normally extended beyond the end of the latter, as shown on reference to the original blank in Fig. 2.

The device is admirably designed to be supported from the waist band of trousers or a similar garment and in view thereof, it is folded on itself along the line 3 in Fig. 2,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 6, 1917.

to form a hook 4 having a relatively resilient tongue 5 longitudinally curved in the direction of the body portion 6 of the blank and provided with a plurality of retaining elements or spurs 7 upstruck directly from the tongue and having their free ends extendingin the direction of the bight 8 of the hook This arrangement is designed for the purpose of permitting the spurs to slightly penetrate the waist band of the garment and under the resiliency of the tongue of the hook the spurs will be pressed to an appreciable extent, in the direction of the body portion 6 of the blank and they will be made to penetrate the waist band so as to hold the device against casual derangement therefrom.

At the opposite or lower end the branch 1 of the device is folded on the line 9 in Fig. 2 and as shown, it is provided at its free end with a head or lateral enlargement 10, which is adapted to lie immediately opposite the terminal 11 of the branch 2 of the blank. By looping the branch 1 in the manner described and associating the offset 10 with the terminal 11, of the branch 2, the key ring can be first engaged directly against the branch 2 and pressure applied thereagainst so as to permit the ring to freely pass behind the offset 10 and to be finally deposited in the loop. The metal from which the device is formed is tempered and the branch 2 is designed to form a retaining spring to hold the key ring effectually against casual derangement from the loop. The offset 10 is provided at one side with a curved guiding surface 12 which terminates below the free end 11 of the spring branch 2 of the blank. The said end 11 of the spring branch is slightly curved away from the offset 10 so as to'form a relatively flared guiding space between the terminal 11 and the offset 10 for the purpose of permitting the key ring to freely pass out of the loop on pulling the ring in an upward direction over the curved surface 12 of the offsetlO.

The companion branches 1 and 2 of the blank are relatively offset from one another, as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawing.

7 It is also desired to state that in consideration of the fact that the user of the device may attempt to efi'ect the release of the ring in several different ways, it is found that by also curving the surface 14 of the ofiest, the ring can be guided over the surface 14 and by simply drawing the same in an upward direction, it can be freely passed over the spring branch 2 and released from the loop.

I claim 1. A key ring holder comprising a length of resilient metal split longitudinally to offord a pair of legs, one of said legs being bent at its free end and extended reversely thereof, the other leg being disposed obliquely With respect to the longitudinal axis of the length of metal and normally lying against said reversed end of the first mentioned leg, the lengthor metalbeing bent at its opposite end to afford a garment engaging member.

2. A key ring holder formed from a single length of resilient metal bent at one end to provide a garment engaging hook and split at its opposite end to afford a pair of legs, one of said legs being bent at its free end and extended reversel'y thereof said reversed end terminating in a rounded enlargement which extends obliquely with respect to the longitudinal axis of the length of metal, the other leg normally lying against the enlargement.

3. A key ring holder comprising a length of resilient metal bent at one end to provide garment engaging means, and split at its opposite end to afford a pair of legs, one of the legs being'bent at its free end and extended reversely thereof, said reversed end terminating in a rounded enlargement, the other leg being bent obliquely with respect to the longitudinal axis of the length of metal and normally lying against the rounded enlargement.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM L. KIRKLAND.

Witnesses LEsLIE LEE, MoRRIs BRODMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner of Patents,

7 Washington, D. C. 

